Residents ride out wave of desert heat

Residents ride out wave of desert heat

Patti Wilczynski heads to a SunLine bus on Route 14 to get to an appointment in Palm Springs. She said she doesn't ride the bus for the sole purpose of keeping cool, but Wilczynski has heard of the practice. As a case in point, one man wearing a T-shirt that was cut off at the sleeves, sandals and shorts offered this salutation to a fellow rider two stops down who asked, "How'r you doing, man?" "I just want to stay cool,'' he replied.

COOL PLACES

More than a dozen cooling centers will offer an escape from the heat to residents across the Coachella Valley. There are 48 cooling centers across the Inland region of Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

It’s 105 degrees outside and you – a die-hard desert rat, long accustomed to constant blue skies and dry air – are already withering from the heat and daytime darkness in your shuttered home.

For weeks now, the plantation shutters have been closed, slats up.

Those dark-colored sheets hung to seal out the scorching sun have capped out so much light, claustrophobia is starting to set in. The ceiling fans have whirled for so long, the blades need rebalancing, and the click-click-clicking sound is getting on your nerves.

Even your hearty, thriving houseplant is beginning to drop its leaves.

Time to step out of the box for a real dose of vitamin D. But where to go while battling the summertime blues?

• Play an early round of golf or go for a swim.

• Make tracks for the library or an indoor mall.

• Take in a movie matinee.

• Spend an afternoon at a cooling center.

• Hitch a ride on the SunLine.

Emmanuel and Maria Elena Martinez picked No. 4 and 5 on the list when the thermometer gauge at their Cathedral City home pushed past the 104 degree mark and held there. Seasoned in the art of getting through the summer with jaunts like these, the couple got all gussied up to take a SunLine bus to the Senior Center in Desert Hot Springs.

The trip, costing $1.50 each, included lunch – if they timed their arrival right.

“Our AC is not so perfect,” Emanuel said with a grin. “It’s also nice to see everybody.”

“We get to stay cool, enjoy some companionship,” Patricia Fernandez, 60, explained after boarding the No. 14 bus outside the Spa Casino in Palm Springs for a two-hour ride through portions of Palm Springs and Desert Hot Springs.

“Sometimes the heat can make you feel tired,” said Fernandez, but not getting out can wear you down, too. “I make the most of it,” she said.

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